We decided to take a break from the highway and spend a day in Moab, Utah. I’ve never been to the desert, so the photographer in me wanted to click some off. J had recommended renting a Jeep and off-roading the Shafer Trail to the White Rim Trail to the Lathrop Canyon down to the Colorado River. We rented a Jeep until 6pm, so we decided to go as far as we could and turn back at the halfway point.
The trails were described as intimidating to some but safe with the right vehicle for off-roading.

They were dirt rocky roads with a dramatic drop off on one side. If I kept my eyes on the road my vertigo wouldn’t be tripped. But I couldn’t help looking with that view.

Just as we were about to reach the Colorado River, we had to turn back. We would’ve run into a flash flood anyway, a big storm opened up and dumped a ton of rain on us.

Now we had a muddy jeep to wash to avoid the fines, but we had a blast !

We ran out of time to see Arches National Park. There’s so much to see and do, we really needed a week to get it all in. Now we have an excuse to return some day.

I don’t really have much to say about the Rockies other than they are as beautiful as people say. I definitely recommend visiting in mid-late September when all the birch trees are turning yellow.
All the kids are back to school so the summer vacationers are gone and the ski season is a couple of months away. So lodging is slightly cheaper. We ended up staying a night at a hot spring resort to ease our weary bones.
I didn’t think I’d get altitude sickness, but both Jason and I woke up feeling hung over. I definitely felt as if I had just run a mile when all I did was walk up some stairs to get a few shots at The Continental Divide.

Now it’s onward to the Moab Desert, but with a lot of beautiful scenery along Route 50 to keep us company.

Well, we avoided Dodge City all together. Mostly because it would dip us 3 hours further south of where we want to go in Colorado. So Jason suggested taking Route 24, which at first I complained because we’re supposed to be taking Route 50. But I quickly realized being rigid will induce boredom, and Truck Henge wasn’t far away in Topeka, Kansas.
So I thought we could check it out, take a few pictures, and head over to see The World’s Largest Ball of Twine.
Unfortunately I goofed and practically erased my photos, which I can recover later when we go home.
Fortunately I found this video that sums up our afternoon spent with Ron Lessman at Truck Henge (click here). I highly recommend stopping there if ever bored and passing through Kansas!!